Could Anand reverse brain aging and get an edge in the world chess championship

As we all know, in November, the world chess champion – chess genius, Viswanathan Anand – will defend his title against the highest rated player in history, Magnus Carlsen.

 Pundits here on Chess.com and across the world predict a Carlsen win, based on the recent games and tournament scores of the two players. Carlsen beat Anand handily in their most recent encounter in June. Was the reason for Carlsen’s win chess-related or something more?

Most chess players have not considered that Anand’s biggest challenge may be physiological. According to brain-aging expert, Dr. Timothy Salthouse, cognitive capabilities usually peak at 22, the very age Carlsen is now. Salthouse finds that – on average – by age 28, signs of cognitive decline begin to show up. By 38, signs of memory loss increase.* Many people may not notice these declines until much later ages. But chess players do, especially leading grandmasters since theircareers stand or fall on peak performance. Anand is 43, almost twice Carlsen’s age.

Did you watch the Sinquefield Cup chess tournament (St. Louis, MO)? As you probably know, Carlsen and Levon Aronian, the world’s two top-ranked chess players, joined the two top-ranked U.S. players, Haraku Nakamura and Gata Kamsky, for a round-robin competition. True to Salthouse’s findings, the players’ scores correlated negatively to their ages:

Carlsen: 22 –  4.5

Hikaru Nakamura: 25 – 3.5

Levon Aronian: 30 – 2.5

Gata Kamsky: 38 – 1.5

So should chess grandmasters retire at 23? No! Science indicates that Anand and everybody else who wants to play their best chess can do many things to reverse brain aging. Consider this earlier forum post:

Been Losing Lately? Your Blood Glucose may be too High before the Game Starts

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/been-losing-lately-your-blood-glucose-may-be-too-high-before-your-game-starts

Here are some more blogs on slowing and possibly reversing cognitive decline.

Becoming a Brain Superager http://calorierestrictiondietplan.com/science-and-health-news-views/becoming-a-brain-superager/

CR Way Protects against Dementia http://calorierestrictiondietplan.com/general/cr-way-protects-against-dementia/

I lead research on slowing and reversing aging. A major focus is how the brain ages and what we can do to reverse it.  I truly believe that most chess players could extend the years they enjoy the game by decades just by applying science to their food choices and lifestyle.

Thank you for your word of hope.

Once the match starts, ratings won't matter:, preparation, talent, nerves   experience and sheer will will come into play. Here is the battle of the tape:

Preparation:   Anand: A          Carlsen:  A-

Experience:     Anand: A          Carlsen: A-

Talent:             Anand: A-        Carlsen:  A+

Nerves:          Anand:   A-         Carlsen: A-

Will Power:     Anand:  A           Carlsen: A

Conclusion: Carlsen will need to be at his best to overcome any psycho-logic-kill difficulties encountered. Anand needs to play his best to go toe-to-toe with the Norwegian. It will be a little easier for the challenger.    Result: Carlsen 2-1 or 3-2.

============================================

anand the world champ is 43.

gelfand, the last world champ challenger was 45.  

/end thread

Anatoly Karpov had the best performance of his life and possibly the most dominating results in the history of chess in his early to mid 40's. He peaked AFTER 40.

In terms of personality and attitude, I like Anand. He is probably the most humble and friendliest of all world champions to date.

Ah yes the point......what happened to the point? Look up Oscar Torrijos, 57, chess ratings lookup USCF, 2011 Arkansas State Championship. Half the field faced was much younger, at least 20 years younger and higher rated. One of the things he did to win in the C section was to watch his glucose level in every single round.

Forgot one litlle item. He also prayed:)

I though this would be a luminosity ad for sure

age does not matter in my opinion.

It all comes down to chess experience and skill.

Carlsen losing in my opinion would only benefit him.He would then try even harder to become a better player.

That's an interesting possibility and one I agree with. If Magnus loses he will become stronger from being forced to push harder to win another wc cycle in order to challenge for the title again. If he wins he may relax and take it easy and not improve further because he would've accomplished everything in chess there is.

I don't think that all those you-peak-at-22-and-then-your-brain-is-decreasing studies should be taken to seriously. There are still people aged 70+ that are capable of great mental feats, in chess Viktor Kortschnoi is such an example.

And I think there is a much simpler explanation for that brain loss after 22 or 30 phenomenon: Nowadays that's the age where people stop learning, they usually are finished with school, got their university degree or learned things on their job and then the dull grind and routine of everyday work-life kicks in: stand up, go to work, grind 9to5, go home, drink some beer and watch tv, go sleep, stand up, go to work ... etc. That's the perfect condition for the brain to decrease, since there is no need for it to learn anymore. And then you get such empiric results as meantioned in the OP. 

If one keeps learning, keeps training the brain and keeps a healthy lifestyle, there's no biological reason for the brain to decline after 30. Modern science has proven that even the oldest brain can build new cells and synaptic links (which requires more effort though, than from a young brain), if trained and kept active.

Forgot one litlle item. He also prayed:)

Praying to win a chess game is cheating...no outside influences allowed ;).

dont worribout tha old indinz brains. worribout his body givin way.

Unless you are saying God resides solely inside me and nobody else (ergo, that I am God), it is still an outside influence, isn't it? ;)...

Thanks to all for your comments on my post. Some cite examples of of older players who do well in particular events or generally. Yes I agree. Older stars like Korchnoi are heartening indeed.

My focus is not to prove that older players will do poorly, but rather to figure out how we can prevent age-related decline of cognitive capabilities so we can all enjoy chess and everything else for years, hopefully decades longer.

Science advances quickly. I mentioned age-related decline starts at 23. One example is the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaque. On some that may not matter that much. On others it will lead to Alzheimer's disease, in fact the latest statistics indicate that 45% of those who reach 85 will have it. So what to do about it? Some studies show that keeping dietary protein intake low may help.

My chess-related point on this: many other simple dietary/liifestyle interventions can make a positive difference: if you are going to work hard to be good at chess , why not become a master at what you can do to avoid age-related cognitive decline? Consider especially folks like Anand and Carlsen who spend tens of thousands on preparation, you would think that they would take time to learn what they can do physiologically to be at their cognitive peak. I predict those who do integrate anti-aging protocols into their chess playing approach will be richly rewarded. It will not be possible for others to compete with them. That time is almost here.